Interação Universidade-Empresa: motivações e canais de interação preferidos por professores de uma universidade colombiana. Caso da Universidad Nacional de Colombia – sede Bogotá.

Abstract

In recent decades, reflections on University-Industry (U-E) interaction and its relevance to innovation and economic and social development have gained increasing interest from researchers, governments and companies. In particular, this research seeks to understand a key actor in U-I interaction: university professors. Thus, having as a study scenario the Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Bogotá, we aim to analyze the motivations of professors to interact with companies and the interaction channels they prefer to do so. As a methodology, a unique case study was carried out according to Robert Yin's proposal (2015), through the application of semi-structured interviews and review of secondary sources. Specifically, 18 semi-structured interviews were applied, 15 to university professors who have participated in U-I interaction activities and 3 to employees of the technology transfer office of the same institution. As for secondary sources, the university's regulations, the dean's office and transfer office's activity reports, as well as the internal information system "Hermes" which records all the science and technology results of the professors, were consulted. Data were analyzed using the thematic analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin (2011). As a result, we summarize the main motivations of professor to interact with companies, discuss the channels of interaction most explored by them, and is proposed a typology that takes into account these two elements classifies them into four groups. Finally, it can be concluded that university professors are characterized by a heterogeneity of positions in relation to U-I interaction. It is therefore necessary that policy makers and technology transfer offices recognize this diversity, which is why the existence of a single innovation policy in universities is not appropriate.